Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Nemour.
Leslie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I can’t remember a time when I haven’t imagined myself as an artist. As a child, I considered very few other options, such as a tap dancer or a movie star holding one of those long stem cigarette holders. Those dreams disappeared in adolescence when doubt crept in and the idea of working all night in an isolated studio became much more appealing. Little slivers of encouragement and discouragement from teachers and peers went a long way to keep me on track. I was an art major in college; I never really considered anything else. I then went to graduate school in Visual Arts for my MFA at UCSD. I was fortunate to work with Professors Manny Farber, Patricia Patterson and Jean-Pierre Gorin who always pushed me to take chances and to trust that my life was one worth documenting. Studying film opened up a visual world in my painted narratives that are most prevalent today. I was given the time and space to appreciate who I am.
While in graduate school, I was able to T.A. various studio art and film history classes. Being at the right place, at the right time, I was hired to teach at a few community colleges before I had completed my degree. Not sure if that was a gift or a curse because from then on, I taught up to five colleges/schools in a semester while working as a gallery assistant and curator for twelve years until I was hired for my current position as full-time instructor of drawing and painting at MiraCosta College. I don’t know what I would have done without family nearby to help watch my son in the earlier years. So, here I am, decades later, still trying to balance the dual full-time jobs of an art professor and a studio artist. I am sure my exhibition history has suffered due to these twin roles, but how incredible to be teaching what I actually practice and love.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If the roads were always smooth, then there would be no outstanding joys or disappointments. Challenges have been many, but mainly it has been about finding recognition and exposure. So many hours, days, months and years producing artwork, and just a smidgen of time in the eye of the viewer. That is, however, the life of a studio artist.
My struggles are not unusual for most artists. They focus has been on finding the balance between making a living while maintaining a studio practice, staying engaged in exhibition opportunities and a fulfilling personal life. Beyond that, my challenges lay in the promotional aspects of the art journey; like making and teaching art is not enough, there is that nasty area of the business of art. I never took that class! The smooth part of the road has been the non-wavering commitment to these choices because regardless of recognition or success, I cannot help but do what I do.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am totally in love with paint. Oil paint has been the main medium for most of my life. I have played around with various supports, like painting on film projection screens, non-woven media and most recently large scholastic maps, in addition to traditional paper, canvas and wood panels. My subjects are usually figurative and embedded in personal memory and experience, although referenced from pop culture media.
For the past ten years, much of my work has derived compositions from blurred cinematic imagery that comment on changing societal roles as reflected in past eras of narrative film. The work is simultaneously relevant to current political climates. For example, in the 2012 election season, I paralleled divisive political issues with a series of paintings based on fistfights from Western movies. Another series, “Lessons from the Dark”, isolated female archetypes from cinematic stories to highlight outdated gender perceptions. Since November 2016 (last election), I have been drawn to diptychs that move from a calm place to one of upheaval and chaos. Currently, I am exploring issues of nature’s global imbalance and our misconceptions of animals in the world’s hierarchy with figurative heroes layered onto large educational maps. I possess a love of imagery but am not always sure why I am drawn to certain images while I am painting them, but the connections usually kick in at some point and dig up a buried memory or event. I don’t think it is even possible to choose a random image anymore; they always tie back into a buried personal place.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The definition of success is tricky. Perseverance is the first word that comes to mind, but that may just mean I never give up. I have tried for authenticity, to be true to myself and not wander off the track to bend with trends and whims. I have caught myself a few times in the past and reeled myself back in.
In terms of making money with my painting, I have been a failure, but I don’t think that was ever an important goal.
I have been successful in that I have a home, family and friends, food to eat, good health, art supplies and a place to make art. My work has evolved gracefully rather than erratically over the years so I am at peace with its journey. If it can really surprise and challenge me in the next twenty years, then I will consider it a success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leslienemour.com
- Email: leslienemour@icloud.com
- Instagram: IG: @tashuluv
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslie.nemour
Image Credit:
Siobhan Arnold
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